


At The End of The Path

by mayazero, Ryuutchi



Category: Yuri!!! on Ice (Anime)
Genre: Kinda, Kinda Dark, M/M, Minor Character Death, OtaYuri Reverse Bang 2017, blinkandyou'llmissit!victuuri/viktuuri, but is closely related to it, character eating human remains, death!yuri, fairy tale-ish, god of the underworld!yuuri, kinda graphic descriptions of death, not exactly red riding hood!au, slight angst, wolf!otabek
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-26
Updated: 2017-05-26
Packaged: 2018-11-04 00:41:37
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 12,460
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10978776
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mayazero/pseuds/mayazero, https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ryuutchi/pseuds/Ryuutchi
Summary: “Here it is!” Yuuri cheerfully handed him the scythe, looking expectantly at him.Now mind swimming in confusion even more, it had been by pure reflex that his hand reached out to take the weapon from the other. That had been enough for him to snap out of it, as a rather uncomfortable pang suddenly hit his entire being when the full weight of the scythe rested on him.He peered back up at Yuuri, who remained standing in front of him, a parental smile on his face as he watched Yuri. He decided to ignore that. “Err… What exactly am I going to do with this?”Yuuri gave him a puzzled look, as if the answer should be obvious already. “To kill the man written on that paper, of course.”--In where Yuri is Death, apparently, and frustratingly finds himself fascinated by a certain wolf.





	At The End of The Path

**Author's Note:**

> Written for the Otayuri Reverse Bang 2017!!! Art made by the wonderful [Ryuutchi](http://archiveofourown.org/users/Ryuutchi)([tumblr](http://challahchic.tumblr.com/)) and beta-ed by the amazing [tuples](https://archiveofourown.org/users/tuples)([tumblr](http://eclair.tumblr.com/)).
> 
>  
> 
> [8tracks](https://8tracks.com/ryuutchi/if-you-re-afraid-of-wolves-don-t-go-to-the-woods)
> 
>  
> 
> Hope you'll enjoy :)
> 
>  
> 
> [Say 'Hi' maybe???](https://fyvkthisshyet.tumblr.com/)

                             

 

* * *

 

The first time Yuri saw the color red had been when he was ten years old.

For reasons yet to be known, five years before Yuri’s birth, the Queen From Far Away deemed the color red forbidden throughout the whole kingdom of Very Very Small. They ended up destroying or painting over anything that bore the aforementioned color.

Now, Yuri didn’t really care particularly about that, since it had happened before his birth. The only reason really why he even attempted to open the topic was when he found a very vibrant and _completely unknown_ colored hood buried deep into his grandfather’s closet.

A hood that, when flipped over, turned out to be the exact same light yellow hood his grandfather used every day into going to work at the forest.

Of course, as would any ten year old, Yuri asked about it.

Silence echoed around the small space of their kitchen, making Yuri squirm slightly in his seat and bit his bottom lip in nervousness because these kinds of silences only happened when Yuri did something very, very bad.

Or when something very, very bad would happen.

Much to his relief though, when his grandfather turned away from the stove to peer at him, a smile lined his bearded mouth. Still, that didn’t stop him from gazing back at his grandfather quizzically when the old man approached him and kneeled in front of him, grasping both of Yuri’s small hands into his own warm hands.

“I want you to promise me something, Yuri.” His grandfather started, making Yuri even more curious because his grandfather rarely asked for something from him. It was usually the other way around. “Please keep this a secret. No one can know I own something of the color red. You know it’s forbidden and anyone caught owning one would be executed.”

“So it is the famed color red!” Yuri squealed, staring at the vibrant _red_ hood in wonder. It was such a wonderful color! Why did the Queen ever forbid it from existing?

When he asked this, a sudden glint crossed his grandfather’s eyes; a cruel smirk slowly replacing his earlier soft smile. It was gone as fast as it had appeared, making Yuri quietly question himself if that had been a mere trick of his eye. The expression had been so much unlike his grandfather who was practically made of loving embraces and warm smiles.

“It’s still too early for you to know that, my precious kitten. Wait until you’re sixteen.”

This immediately put a displeased pout on the child’s lips. “Again with that! You said the same thing when I asked you about your job and that dark man who always drops by our house at dusk!”

The response pulled a chuckle out of his grandfather, who had already stood back up and was walking back to the stove to continue cooking their breakfast. “In due time, my boy. In due time,”

The pout turned into a frown, blazing peridot eyes throwing daggers at the old man’s back.

His grandfather could only smile indulgently.

“If I promised to cook piroshky for lunch and dinner today, would it make you stop sulking?”

Yuri was quick to beam at the most important person on his life.

 

* * *

 

When Yuri reached the age of 16, he had already forgotten that small conversation.

Until his own grandfather reminded him of it.

“What is this?” he asked his grandfather as he opened the other’s present: a simple thin white envelope.

His grandfather released a hearty laugh. “I see you have already forgotten about it! Didn’t I promise to answer all your questions when you reach the age of 16?”

That immediately perked the teenager up, peering joyfully at the old man.

“You mean I’ll finally learn the family secret?” he excitedly asked.

At the other's equally energetic nod, Yuri almost tore the envelope in his hurry to open it, eliciting another chortle from his grandfather. He ignored it, too preoccupied with the various possibilities the envelope contained. Could it be a map to a long forgotten treasure? A key to a door that connects to another world? The contract of a family curse? An ancestor's dying testament containing a huge amount to be inherited only if a certain condition was fulfilled?

It was none of those.

Instead, inside the envelope was a slip of paper with the name of the apple vendor at the market written on it.

“What?” he couldn’t help but mutter, staring at the sheet of paper in bafflement.

“It’s better if you find out yourself,” his grandfather replied, this time holding unto a blindingly white hood. Yuri could only blink in disbelief.

“Grandpa! Are you starting with that bullshit again? I thought you’d finally tell me everything once I reach sixteen? Well, here we are,” he pouted.

Unlike before though, when his grandfather would laugh lightly at his response and console him, this time the old man didn’t. Instead, he continued to look at Yuri seriously while extending the white hood to him.

“Trust me, Yuri. This is for the best.”

His pout turned into a worried frown at that, finally taking the hood.  His grandfather rarely acted like this, especially to him. Yuri ignored the countless questions forming in his head and instead replied, “When have I not?”

Once again, he was taken aback by the utter sadness that slipped on his grandfather’s face. The same kind of thing happened six years ago when the hood was brought up.   As it was six years ago, the sad look disappeared a second later and his grandfather’s usual sunny smile was back in its place.

A heavy weight suddenly started forming deep inside Yuri's stomach.

“Now listen carefully, alright?” his grandfather started, helping him with the hood and securely fastening the golden ropes at the base of his neck. “With that letter in hand, go directly to the middle of the forest-“ The old man placed a finger on his mouth when Yuri turned to gasp at that. He gave Yuri a warning glint in his eyes. “-without ever looking back. Just walk straight ahead to avoid getting lost or being found by things. Over there a single white brick house stands. Do you remember the face of my friend who delivers my day's work load at dusk?” At Yuri's nod, his grandfather smiled in satisfaction. “He lives there. Give him the piece of paper and in exchange you'll receive further instructions.”

There were still a lot of things Yuri wanted to asked his grandfather. _The_ fucking _forest???_ But one look from the old man, who it seemed like had already predicted what Yuri was about to do, silenced him.

That silence permeated the atmosphere until he was already at the door, a basket full of his grandfather’s famous piroshky and a bottle of milk at hand, and the weight on his stomach growing heavier and heavier.

“Never look back, remember that.”  His grandfather reminded him, and with a kiss on his temple, Yuri forced his feet to trudge on towards the forest.

 

\-------

 

Around the same time that the Queen From Very Far Away decreed the color red forbidden, people had started avoiding the forest. Though unlike with the color red, it was actually known why the forest was avoided.

Because of wolves.

The forest was crawling with bloodthirsty, shape shifting, man-eating wolves who were forever in some sort of territory war with each other. Everyone in the village was afraid of those furry creatures. They were regularly kidnapping a villager once a month, when the moon was full and shining brilliantly up in the dark sky.

No one knows where these creatures came from or why they decided to invade their forest. No one was even keen to know why. As embarrassing as it was, the citizens of Very Very Small weren’t in the habit of questioning things. They just let them happen. They would usually turn a blind eye and avoid it when ignoring wouldn’t work anymore. Yuri had been like that too.

Now? Not anymore. Not when he was being forced to face whatever this was.

As his grandfather had instructed him, Yuri trudged straight into the forest, gaze focused forward. He would like to avoid the wolves as much as possible, considering he was currently trespassing on their territory.

Turns out, you don’t need to stumble upon them.

 _They_ find _you_.

Case in point: a completely black furred wolf suddenly jumped right in the middle of Yuri’s path, mouth curved into something closely related to a smirk, sharp canines on full display.

Yuri was shocked, stunned rooted in his place.

“Fuck,” he exclaimed, gripping tightly at the basket handle. “You followed the scent of food, didn’t you?”

The wolf moved to sit on the ground, head moving slightly up and down in a nod.

Yuri was screwed.

“Can I make a bargain?” he offered, not at all keen on just letting his life end without even fighting for it. If this damned wolf wanted to eat him, then he better be ready to fight tooth and nail to get it.

Quite literally.

The wolf seemed to mull this over, head slightly tilted to the side, dark obsidian eyes regarding Yuri carefully. Yuri on the other hand, tried his best not to fidget, nor swallow in nervousness. It wouldn’t be good to show weakness. After all, he might just be taken advantage of.

A lot of the villagers who were fortunate enough to survive an encounter with a wolf had had said the damned monsters were quite smart and clever.

After a moment, it seemed like the wolf had finished assessing him. Yuri had immediately stood in attention when the furred creature started to stretch, the revolting sounds of bones grinding were audible enough to completely disturb Yuri. It took him his all to refrain from hurling his lunch right there.

He swore he had never felt more relieved when the wretched sounds finally stopped. When he returned his gaze back to where the wolf was (he hasn’t been looking during the wolf’s transformation because his grandfather _had_ taught him manners), he couldn’t decide if he preferred having those disturbing sounds back. The sounds meant he had to look away. The sight in front of him made his eyes burn with a feeling he is not familiar with.

“That depends,” the newly transformed ( _and completely naked)_ man replied, tall form standing straight, with his dark eyes roaming all over Yuri. “On what kind of bargain you are willing to offer.”

Yuri could feel his saliva start to pool inside his mouth, this time for a completely different reason.

God fucking damn it, why did all monsters have to look _so fucking good?_

He won’t admit this, but it took him a few embarrassing moments before his brain processed just what the wol- _man_ said.

“A favor,” Yuri cleared his throat, glassy green eyes boring at the other’s dark ones, making a point to not look anywhere lower than the man’s chest in favor of his own sanity. “I’d do anything you would like me to do – only once though! – in favor of letting me go unscathed.”

The man contemplated his proposal, head tilting slightly to the side again. Yuri was starting to get the feeling that the man was fond of doing that whenever he had to think something through; whether on his wolf form or human form.

Then suddenly, “What are you doing here in the forest, anyway?” the man asked. “I thought this place had become forbidden for humans?”

“Business. I’m on my way towards the white brick house.”

Much to Yuri’s bafflement, when the man had heard his response, those dark eyes widened partially, glinting slightly in fear; mouth parted in surprise.

“I see,” the man breathed. This time he regarded Yuri differently, expression shifting to something a little harder, eyes staring a little longer on his white hood. This reaction merely made Yuri even more curious, the weight on his stomach growing heavier once again.

Just what the hell was going on?

The man hadn’t made things any better when he swiftly flicked his tongue over his lips, eyes slowly shifting away from Yuri to somewhere behind him. “Alright,” that deep voice started, “ _Two_ favors and that bottle of milk in favor of letting you walk away from me unharmed. I’ll even escort you to the white brick house.”

Yuri narrowed his eyes. “And how can I make sure your words could be trusted?”

Since their encounter, the man’s lips tugged slightly into something closely resembling an amused smile for the first time. “Same with how I can trust your words: Blind faith,” he replied with a soft expression.

It was now Yuri’s turn to contemplate the situation. It… honestly wasn’t so bad. He even offered to lead him towards the brick house! Although, there was a huge possibility that the other might be lying and would instead lead Yuri towards his quarters where he’ll be eaten.

He _was_ a wolf, after all.

On the other hand, he did have a point. How would they ever reach a solution that’s acceptable to  both of them if they weren’t willing to put in a little trust?

Mind made up, Yuri returned his gaze back to the other man’s obsidian eyes. “Alright. Lead the way then.”

For some reason, his breath had stuttered when the other’s half smile blossomed into a full one in response.

 

**\---------**

 

The brick house his grandfather described had indeed been located in the middle of the forest, right next to a wide, beautifully glistening lake.

The sight of the lake had actually taken Yuri by surprise he found himself slowly lowering his basket to the ground, right next to his guide. The guide had turned back into a wolf halfway through their journey, as he was more comfortable with this form. The wolf had sat on the ground to also admire the lake, as he let himself be pulled by an unknown force closer to the lake’s shore.

When Yuri finally snapped out of his awe, the wolf was already gone. The bottle of milk had also disappeared from Yuri’s basket along with half of a piece of piroshky. Yuri found himself smiling with amusement at that.

“You must be Nikolai’s grandson,” a lightly accented voice startled Yuri, making his hold on the basket loosen and drop it to the ground. “It’s nice to finally meet you.” His guard was once again up as he narrowed his eyes to glare at the intruder.

After all, you may never know just what kinds of creatures reside in the forest.

The stranger smiled warmly at him, behind huge framed glasses were eye curving into slits. He didn’t look like a native here in Very Very Small, and that just made Yuri even more wary of him. He did share the Queen From Far Away’s view on foreigners: there were to be avoided at all costs.

Quite funny since the Queen From Far Away was also not a Very Very Small native.

“Are you the one who always brings my grandfather his daily tasks?” Yuri asked in lieu of commenting at the stranger’s earlier statements, finding himself unable to divulge any information about his beloved grandfather until he could be sure that this man could be trusted.

And whoever his grandfather trusted Yuri also trusted.

The other man gave a firm nod. “Yes, I am Yuuri Katsuki.”

That statement floored Yuri, mouth opened to gape at the stranger. “You were the one I was named after? My estranged uncle from the kingdom of Very Very Stealthy?” The other man’s warm smile turned sheepish, hand snaking up on his hair as he awkwardly nodded. Yuri couldn’t believe this. “How the fuck did this happen? They told me you were dead!”

For some reason, that statement made the stranger – _Yuuri_ – pause, a mischievous smirk lightly grazing his lips and an unknown glint in his eyes.

Yuri was hit with déjà vu.

Seriously, what was it with his relatives and totally mysterious uncharacteristic glints in their eyes and curves on their lips?

Although, unlike his grandfather, Yuuri hadn’t wiped out the expression and instead, it looked even ominous when the other took off his glasses. His uncle gestured to the general direction of the brick house. “Would you like some tea? It would be better if we continue this discussion inside. Who knows who could be listening out here?”

Yuri thought that seemed kind of pointless since, according to statements and basing on the fact that wolves were like dogs, their hearing and sense of smell were significantly  greater than a human’s. No matter where they’ll have this discussion they’d still be heard. (What the hell were they supposed to discuss anyways? He thought he was only here to drop off the basket and piece of paper?)

But whatever really, Yuri internally shrugged, if the other Yuuri wanted to talk under the comfort of his home then Yuri was not going to complain. Especially as it would mean he’ll get to eat. He hadn’t had breakfast yet after all, as his grandfather decided to spring all this to him right after Yuri had woken up.

There goes his yearly anticipated cake.

“So _why_ exactly had our relatives think you died?” Yuri asked when he had already made himself comfortable on Yuuri’s plush couch. He took a few frustrating minutes of wrestling with his damned hood so that it won’t wrinkle when he sat down. Yuuri did offer to hang it on the coat rack but Yuri had refused, much comfortable with the knowledge that he can choose to bolt anytime without any worries if ever anything untoward happened.

Yuri had a feeling Yuuri knew his intentions, but had chosen not to acknowledge it. Instead, he gave him another warm smile before he headed straight to his kitchen to prepare the promised drink.

Yuuri seemed to mull the question for a bit before giving Yuri an apologetic smile. “Sorry, I would love to tell you all about it but it’s kind of a long story and you’re unfortunately pressed for time.”

This earned a confused frown from Yuri. “What?”

“Please give me a moment,” Yuuri said in response before he disappeared somewhere around the house, leaving Yuri to understand just what the hell he meant by that.

When the other man had returned, he brought with him a huge and long scythe that ultimately took Yuri by surprise and briefly felt fear shoot into his spine. Fuck, just what the hell did he intend to do with that…?

“Here it is!” Yuuri cheerfully handed him the scythe, looking expectantly at him.

Now mind swimming in confusion even more, it had been by pure reflex that his hand reached out to take the weapon from the other. That had been enough for him to snap out of it, as a rather uncomfortable pang suddenly hit his entire being when the full weight of the scythe rested on him.

He peered back up at Yuuri, who remained standing in front of him, a parental smile on his face as he watched Yuri. He decided to ignore that. “Err… What exactly am I going to do with this?”

Yuuri gave him a puzzled look, as if the answer should be obvious already. “To kill the man written on that paper, of course.”

 

**\------**

 

“Please, spare me,” the apple vendor cried, scrambling to kneel by Yuri's feet and beg.  It was the vendor who always gave Yuri secretive smiles as he sneaked extra apples into his basket.“You know very well that I’m the only one my family relies on for bringing food on the table.”

Yuri swallowed the bile that started to come from his stomach, trying his best to temper out the shaking of his hands as he gripped the huge black scythe Yuuri had given him. His Uncle had specifically informed him not to let the humans he’ll visit to see either nervousness or hesitation. It wouldn’t be good at all, considering the nature of humans.

Yuri could finally see that now, when the apple vendor had noticed his hesitation and took advantage of it – crawling closer to him and grabbing unto the edges of his white hood, eyes beginning to form tears.

Yuri had never been so conflicted.

“Please? Give me a few more years.  Just until my eldest son is of age and can help support the family. You understand where I’m coming from, right? Seeing there’s only you and your grandfather.”

And the thing was, Yuri _did_ understand. It had only been him and his grandfather after all. Although he now had an idea how the old man managed to always bring food on their table and be able to provide Yuri's material needs – that didn’t mean they hadn’t experienced some tough times too.

Yuuri's warning was starting to sound really cold now, if not completely wise.

“Don’t let yourself get swayed,” a familiar voice broke through his musings. When Yuri and the apple vendor looked over to the window, the wolf was nonchalantly lounging at the frame, as naked as the day he was born.

Yuri couldn’t stop the traitorous blush that invaded his cheeks as he continued to stare at the wolf. This was a bit different from earlier, after all, for with how the other had posed, Yuri could see practically _everything._

At the very least, he had now stopped shaking and looking all around nervous. But this doesn’t make it any more of an ideal situation.

“Who the hell are you and what the fuck are you doing on my window?!” It was amazing how fast one person's emotions could change. Earlier the apple vendor's expression had been nearly crestfallen and almost in tears. Then just now, the sight of a naked intruder lounging on his window pane had him immediately red-faced with anger, and standing on his feet.

Yuri doesn’t know whether to thank the wolf or not.

“No matter how good a person has been, all humans are the same by nature.” The wolf hadn’t even spared the apple vendor a glance, dark eyes trained fully at Yuri. “Self-centered, manipulative, _vicious_ humans.”

That hit something inside Yuri.

“And how would you know?” he growled, glaring darkly at the creature. As disturbing as it was, something inside Yuri preened in complete delight when the wolf flinched slightly at his look. Really, the other man may look all nonchalant but for some unfathomable reason he was scared of Yuri. “You’re not one of us.”

That seemed to snap something in the wolf, eyebrow raised in disbelief, mouth curled slightly in a sneer. Yuri had instinctively braced himself for whatever the other would reply.

And it had been the right call.

“You? Human? And where have you heard that?” that struck Yuri like a deer in headlights. It may not make sense but the other made a fine point. If asked a day or so earlier, he wouldn’t hesitate in proving the wolf otherwise.

But that’s the thing. If Yuri had been a normal human, would he be able to calmly speak – even form a fucking bargain – with a wolf?

Besides, what kind of human would break into another person’s house holding a humongous scythe with the sole intention to kill said house’s owner?

Yuri, obviously.

“Little one,” the apple vendor interrupted, anger now abated but was still regarding their intruder warily. “You know this person?”

“He’s a wolf,” Yuri had stated without preamble.

That seemed to alarm the man, hurriedly moving himself in front of Yuri – blocking the wolf’s view of him. “Go. I’ll try to hold him back. Save yourself… and please, tell my family I love them,” the vendor implored.

Yuri was left staring at the back of the apple vendor’s head in horror, tears beginning pool on his eyes. God fucking damn it! Here was the guy who was earlier pleading for his life, now uncaringly willing to throw it away for a person he barely knew. That same person had also been the one who threatened to take his life!

How could he ever do this?

Right across them, the wolf’s ears picked up; tail wagging gleefully, dark eyes twinkling in amusement though his face had remained neutral.

Yuri was starting to hate himself with how much he had reacted to it.

“Well,” the wolf started, not even bothering to hide the small smirk currently forming on his chiseled face. “What are you waiting for? Here’s a wonderful opportunity. Why aren’t you taking advantage of it?”

The apple vendor scowled at the wolf, taking a few paces back, making Yuri move closer to the door. “Silence, you monster! I won’t let you manipulate this young man anymore! By the Gods, someone should really put an end to all of you.”

Now Yuri had let a single tear slip down his face. _For the love of God!_

That hadn’t even fazed the wolf, and still continued to gaze at Yuri. “Isn’t this your job? Why aren’t you doing anything?”

_“Be quiet-!”_

“Are you really willing to disappoint your grandfather?” this caught Yuri’s attention, blazing eyes immediately moving to gaze back at twinkling black pits.

_“Don’t you dare involve my grandfather in this-!”_

“Your dear, wonderfully _frail_ grandfather who had almost been attacked by a rare pack of hungry wolves during his last day at work. If the man living in the bricked house hadn’t arrived in time you would be mourning now instead of _celebrating._ ” Now _that_ made Yuri take in a sharp breath, remembering vividly how his grandfather’s body had been littered with various deep gashes which bled. When Yuri had angrily asked the old man where he managed to acquire them, the stubborn old man remained quiet.  He merely insisted it happened when he tripped and rolled over a rather rocky terrain at the forest.

Looks like Yuri’s hunch had been right.

It looked like the wolf was not yet done, “Now imagine this: you had come home after failing to execute your job. Obviously, you won’t receive any commission from the man living in the brick house, which means you won’t have anything to eat. This in turn would force your grandfather to go back working because you obviously couldn’t be trusted to do such a simple job. And to consider he had been lucky to survive then. I don’t think we can confidently say the same for the second time.”

There had been no use fighting it really.

Now openly weeping, Yuri had rested a hand on the arm of the apple vendor who was still screaming different profanities and names at the impassive wolf. That made the man pause to angrily peer at him, scowling, “Why haven’t you run yet? Go now before that monster decides to kill us both!”

He was caught surprised when Yuri’s tear stained face peered up at him.

“I’m sorry,” Yuri whispered before he raised his scythe and unflinchingly brought it down.

There was nothing more important to Yuri than his grandfather.

 

* * *

 

Yuri finally figured out just who he was a day after he turned 16.

His dreams that night had been haunted by what transpired that day:

_The apple vendor's face when his head separated from his body and fell to the ground._

_How the man's blood had splashed his hood red (just like his grandfather's vibrant red hood)._

_The bloody sight the wolf made as he proceeded on devouring on the apple vendor’s carcass, starting at the heart._

_The taste of bile in his mouth as he hadn't been able to hold himself back and hurled beside the feasting wolf._

_The bloodcurdling screams of the dead man’s wife, deafening him as the wolf dragged him out of the house before he could be found._

He was Death.

His whole family had been various personifications of Death.

The color red had been banned from their kingdom was because that was the color of their hoods, and therefore it would be much easier for the Queen From Far Away to track them down and kill them.

And Yuuri – his so-called uncle – was the God of the Underworld.  He was their master.  The one who gives them a piece of paper with the name of the person who’s supposed to die on that day written.

When he had angrily informed his grandfather of this revelation, the old man had sadly smiled and sat him down to relay the long (and honestly tragic) tale explaining how their whole family had been given such a task.

Apparently, it was only recently (if you call over two millennia as recent) that they had been called _Plisetsky_ . In the beginning of time, the Gods had given them the name _Nikiforov_ and tasked them to become Kings so that they can lead and manage the Kingdom of Russia (which turned out was actually the name of Very Very Small back in the olden times, before the Gods had cursed humanity for defiling nature through the various things they had made and took all their advancements away never to be unlocked again.)

Humans back then had been more selfish than now, never really finding contentment with what they have and always were looking for ways to gain more power. That ultimately lead them to their demise. Sadly, during the reign of King Viktor Nikiforov, the kingdom’s court had consisted of nothing but these power hungry mongrels.

The King hadn’t stood a chance.

Unfortunately though, humans back then weren’t only selfish. They were also vengeful to a fault. With a burning anger fueling him, King Viktor had decided to plead for help to the most powerful and dangerous god of all – the God of the Underworld.

Fortunately (or unfortunately, depending on your own point of view,) the god, smelling a wonderfully tasteful show brewing, had been more than willing to help.

For a price.

And that was how the God of the Underworld acquired his most powerful servant, Death. The rest, as they all said, was history.

Both Yuri and his grandfather were descendants of King Viktor.

When his grandfather had finished telling the tale, Yuri had wordlessly stood from his perch on their dining room’s chair and shut himself inside his room. He never emerged out again until three days later which happened to be the day of the apple vendor’s funeral. He surprised his grandfather with a lovingly made breakfast, usual attitude back in place and more than willing to fulfill all the work he had missed.

Not once had the old man apologized for not explaining all this to him sooner. Yuri was still debating if he appreciated that or not.

 

* * *

 

When Yuri turned 17, he had finally gotten used to everything.

“I’m glad to see that you are finally coming to terms with your job,” Yuuri, the God of the Underworld commented, a pleased smile on his face as he sipped his tea.

Yuri momentarily paused in wolfing down the bowl of katsudon the other had prepared for him. “Ha?” he scowled, not pleased at all at getting interrupted. Seriously, Yuri never expected to love another type of food other than his grandfather’s piroshky. Yet here we are, this katsudon thing Yuuri made for him in celebration for his first kill now the solid number three in his list of the things he loves – his grandfather and piroshky being the first and second, respectively.

“I had been skeptical at first,” the God admitted, setting his cup on the table. Yuri continued to glare at him in suspicion. “Your grandfather had sheltered you too much so I thought you would fervently reject this job. You wouldn’t be the first one, to be honest – and there was nothing your grandfather or I could do about it. I did promise Viktor,” there it was, the fondness with which Yuuri spoke his ancestor’s name. Yuri’s curiosity was nagging at him to ask just what exactly had happened between the God of the Underworld and the very first Death, but he held himself back. Despite meeting every day and talking like this, Yuri still hasn’t completely grasped how Yuuri would react being asked such a personal question. Yuri was assuming his ancestor was a sensitive topic.

It didn’t help that when Yuri had asked his grandfather, the other had merely cryptically commented _“It’s better to let bygones be bygones.”_

But Yuri wouldn’t be Yuri if that wouldn’t make him even more curious.

“Yet here you are!” Yuuri suddenly continued, dragging Yuri away from his musings. “Not only one of the best Death’s I’ve had the pleasure of working with – you’re also the first one who was quick to settle with that fact. Other than Viktor, of course, but then that had been a different case.” The God chuckled.

The apple vendor had immediately come to his mind. Despite how many humans he had already killed - how quickly he forgot  those - he is always reminded of the apple vendor. How his head rolled to the ground, expression turned to complete agony before it froze. His wife’s ear piercing shrieks.

How Yuri and the wolf ran out of the house completely bathed in blood.

“Of course,” he proudly scoffed, smirking smugly at the God. “What else did you expect? We Yuris were made for great things.”

Yuuri smiled delightedly in response to that and even offered to refill his bowl.

 

* * *

 

Yuri met the wolf again when he was 18.

He would never admit this, but a small part of him had dearly hoped he’ll meet the other creature again soon – on par with the small part of him that wished he didn’t.

It had been a struggle, really. It came to a point where Yuri even deliberately strayed from his path, purposely letting himself cross over to wolf territories in the hope that he’ll stumble into the wolf’s path.

To no such luck.

The wolves have a sharp sense of smell so a whiff of the blood on Yuri's hood had them all scrambling. They have already learned their lesson when one of their kind (that wasn’t Yuri's wolf) had pounced on him, only to suddenly whimper pitifully and gaze at him with wide fearful eyes. That was when it finally registered to them that he had _the_ scythe held in hand and the pure rage radiating from his eyes.

The sight of his hood had also been a huge giveaway.

Needless to say, due to his extreme displeasure, the wolf had unfortunately helped Yuri sharpen the blade of his scythe in preparation for that day's kill (that had gotten him in a lot of trouble with the Moon Goddess, Yuuri _and_ his grandfather.)

Still, _his_ wolf had never turned up again.

Until now.

“We meet again, Death.” That familiar deep voice surprised Yuri, making him stumble slightly on a non-existent pebble.

A sudden flush involuntarily rose to his cheeks. Damn, he had forgotten just how much better the real thing sounded compared to his sporadic dreams.

And fuck if he didn’t feel very pleased and nervous to cross paths with the other again.

What the hell was happening to him?

“So we did,” he finally managed to reply, steeling himself first before turning around to properly face the other.

Much to his disappointment though, the wolf had on a blue ensemble that made him look like royalty, but he made no effort in hiding his furry ears and tail. Yuri took a furtive glance at him, realizing that the wolf looked like a prince. It was not just his clothes but how he carried himself. Maybe he wasn’t disappointed at seeing him clothed, after all.

Yuri honestly found it so infuriating how the other creature managed to look so handsomely adorable.

The world certainly wasn’t fair.

“Mind explaining why you had been roaming around our forest terrorizing my fellow wolves?” the other asked, casually leaning on a tree, ears and tail twitching slightly in curiosity; head tilted to the side.

Yuri had to dig his nails deep to his palms to stop himself from moving closer to the man and touch those soft looking furry dark triangles poking through the other's hair.

_Hold it together, Plisetsky! You’re Death, for fuck’s sake._

He finally managed to raise an eyebrow at the wolf, giving him an unimpressed look. “I do need to cross the forest to go to work.”

“That you do,” the other agreed, nodding. A second later, a hint of a smirk was grazing his lips, making Yuri's heart beat stutter once. _What the fuck???_ “But you – or Death, rather – never stray from their usual paths. What made you do so?”

“Did I really scare your comrades so much that they sent you to make me go away?” Yuri scoffed, completely amused.

It seemed like the other shared his sentiment, with his completely delighted expression. “I might have bragged that Death owed me two favors.”

The laugh that slipped out if Yuri's lips was completely sudden; a surprise that he couldn’t hold back.

“Of course you did.” And damn if that fucking sounded more fond than amused. Shit. Seriously, what the actual fuck was happening to him? This was the first time he was acting like this with someone other than his grandfather (and nowadays, Yuuri).

“So,” he hurriedly grabbed the other's attention in hopes he hadn’t notice his earlier blunder. In case he did,  Yuri hoped that he wouldn’t think too much of it. “Are you here to use one of your favors to get me out of your side of the forest?”

The wolf blinked at him. “No,” he replied, ignoring Yuri's surprised expression as he walked closer to Yuri, hand reaching into the basket.  Yuri was caught off guard by the sudden proximity, rendering him breathless. “I'm actually here to offer you another proposition. This bottle of milk,” the wolf raised the said bottle high in emphasis, making the air finally return to Yuri's lungs. “And another favor in exchange for turning a blind eye – again – to this encounter and persuading my fellow wolves to instead ignore you. What do you say?”

Yuri pretended to think it over, lips pressed in thought, even when really he already had an answer to that.

“Fine,” he concluded after a carefully calculated moment, making sure his voice was lined with resignation rather than the excitement  that is currently churning in his stomach. ( _He would fucking meet the other again, after all!_ ) “Am I free to leave now?”

The wolf nodded, stepping back slightly to gesture towards Yuri’s back. He was quick to turn around, making sure not to trip over the random branches and twigs littering the forest ground. It didn’t take him long to realize that no pair of feet were following him.

“Hey!” Yuri shouted, disgruntled, glaring at the wolf who was only calmly gazing at him. “You aren’t even going to escort me?”

In response to that, the wolf's eyes widened partially, mouth parted in surprise. Unfortunately Yuri wasn't able to ponder at it longer since the other had hurriedly stalked (for that was the only way to describe how the other creature walked) towards him, dark eyes twinkling with  amusement.

“Ah, of course, forgive me.”

The wolf's grin could be described best as absolutely feral.

Damn if that did not send a shiver up Yuri's spine.

 

* * *

 

Yuri's whole world came crashing down when he was 19.

“No,” he cried, staring at the piece of paper he held in his hands. “You can’t be serious.”

Standing across him, Yuuri gave him a sympathetic look. His hand reaching out as a comforting touch but only for it to return to his side when Yuri gave him a scathing glare.

That’s right. Yuuri better not attempt any of that bullshit or else Yuri won’t hesitate cutting off his head – Immortality be damned.

“I’m sorry,” the God instead offered.

Oh no, Yuri won’t have any of that. The stupid bastard was taking his whole world after all.

“Don’t give me that bullshit if you don’t mean it!” he hissed, with a glare lethal enough to kill a human. It is most unfortunate that the man currently standing at his door was not at all mortal – quite the opposite actually. “Because if you did, his name wouldn’t be on this piece of goddamned paper. _You_ wouldn’t force _me_ to fucking take his _life_.”

Yuuri could only bow his head in response, his grip tight around Yuri’s scythe.

Just the sight of the weapon almost made Yuri cry out in despair.

Fuck, so this was _real_ . Yuuri really expected him to kill the most important person on his life. The fucking God of the Underworld really expected him to fucking kill _his own damned grandfather_.

Yuri never expected such a betrayal to come.

Like the cherry on top of this fucked up situation, his grandfather decided to wake up early this time, rather than oversleeping like what he had been doing since Yuri took over his job.

The old man beamed at the sight of the God. “Yuuri! It’s been a long time – it’s nice to see you again.”

The God gave the old man a gentle smile. “Yes, it’s nice to see you too, Nikolai.”

“What are you doing standing there in the cold? Come inside and sit!” the old man fussed at the God, gesturing for him to come inside before hitting Yuri slightly on the head. “Seriously, boy. Where are your manners? I thought I taught you better than that?”

That seemed to snap Yuri back to the present, hurriedly walking in front of Yuuri and blocking his way, glaring at the God all the way. “No! This bastard doesn’t deserve to enter our home! Get the fuck out here and never show yourself again!”

“Yuri!” His grandfather was quick to shout, expression completely scandalized. “What do you think are you doing?!”

“Getting this monster away from us, what does it look like?” he shouted back. No, no, no. This time Yuri was _not_ going to back down. Can’t his grandfather see he was doing all this for him?

Before his grandfather could respond back, Yuuri stopped him, placing a comforting hand on his shoulder.

Yuri saw red.

“It’s alright, Nikolai. Your grandson had a reason why he’s doing all this.” Yuuri smiled sadly, still not letting go of Yuri’s scythe.

 _The nerve_ , Yuri fumed, _the fucking nerve!_

If it would be possible, his grandfather’s eyebrows furrowed deeper. “But what could possibly be the cause of this insanity?”

“He _fucking_ wrote your name!” Yuri fumed, glaring darkly at the God who could not meet his eyes. “Today’s name was your name, grandfather.”

 _Nikolai Plisetsky_ was indeed written in white ink on the piece of black paper still clutched in  his hand. Yuri knew he should have been fucking wary the week before, when the fucking traitor had started acting suspiciously: generously giving him more servings of katsudon, looking at him sadly whenever he thought Yuri was not looking and even allowing to him to take a sip from the Lake of Life.

Yuri should have gotten suspicious when he saw a piece of black paper and a white colored pen on the other’s study table. Yuuri never used black paper to write names; it had always been white.

But he didn’t. Because he had come to trust the God – _even_ to the point of seeing him as _another father figure_.

Well, joke’s on him.

His grandfather looked surprised at that, heavy silence suddenly pervading throughout the whole house. A moment later, much to Yuri’s utter devastation, a certain calm took over the old man’s features and he even managed to _fucking smile_.

What the actual fuck?

“G-grandfather?” Yuri hesitantly asked, feeling that alarming weight in his stomach. It had been a long time since he last felt this – back during his first day on the job.

_This was not going to end well…_

“So the time has finally come…” his grandfather breathed, walking towards Yuuri and grasped both his hands, raising it to his lips. “Thank you, for finally letting me rest.”

“What the actual fuck is going on?” Yuri roared, anger this time coming off from his feeling of confusion over the current developments, rather than the betrayal from earlier. There was nothing Yuri hated more than being kept in the dark, especially if the ones concerned were people he cared about.

That made his grandfather’s attention return to him, face softening as the old man brought him to a hug. Yuri had immediately buried his face on the other’s neck with a bit of effort since he had long passed his grandfather’s height after his last growth spurt. He inhaled deeply, engraving the other’s scent deep into his mind, worried that this might be the last time he’ll be able to touch his grandfather like this.

_Oh fuck, why?_

“I’ll always love you, Yuratchka, never forget that.” With a lingering kiss on his forehead, his grandfather withdrew from the hug to approach Yuuri; taking the scythe from the God’s grasp. The old man gave the weapon a loving caress before handing it to Yuri.

Yuri was openly sobbing now.

 _Oh fuck, oh, fuck, fuck, fuckfuckfuckfuck._ This was seriously not happening.

_Motherfucking shit this was seriously happening._

Yuri swore for the first time since he had taken over this job. The sound of his blade passing through flesh and bone had never sounded more nauseating.

It also didn’t help that afterwards, his grandfather’s body had merely turned into ash and floated along the wind; going all around the village for the last time before finally disappearing.

Along with the village’s memories of him.

 

* * *

 

Yuri finally learned his wolf’s name at the same day he killed his grandfather.

After completely causing the destruction of his world, ignoring Yuuri’s various cries, Yuri had immediately ran out of the house and towards the forest. Tears flowing from his eyes.  making his sight distorted, leaving him no choice but to rely on his feet to take him wherever they want to.

In his haste, for the first time, he had forgotten to take his hood with him.

That turned out to be a mistake.

After a long time of running, Yuri had only managed to stop not because of exhaustion or because he had finally snapped out of his melancholy. It was when a wolf had jumped at him; menacingly growling, with teeth bared and saliva dripping.

Unfortunately, he had been feeling too devastated to feel any other emotion. He hadn’t been able to stop the wolf when its jaws immediately locked on his neck. Its growls were getting louder at the sharp tang of Yuri’s blood, ripping a high pitched cry from his throat.

Now that had managed to successfully pull Yuri out of the deep dark pits of his mind.

“You fucking piece of shit!” he snarled, hand immediately grabbing at the top of the wolf’s neck and flung it across him, right into a tree trunk. “Can’t any of you idiots recognize me without my cloak? I’m fucking Death!”

Looked like the wolf’s most ‘gracious’ Moon Goddess still cared for it enough to keep it alive for when Yuri met those glowing silver eyes, recognition dawned on it, making the wolf curl around himself and whimper in distress. (As for the Moon Goddess, Yuuri had given him a crash course in regards to everything about wolves; about how they were practically slaves to the Goddess’ whims, the poor creatures.)

The damned wolf should also thank his fucking lucky stars. If Yuri had not dropped his scythe after he beheaded his grandfather, killing wolves would have been a better outlet than just aimlessly getting lost in the forest.

And wouldn’t you know? Seemed like the wolf wasn’t dumb after all. Having realized Death’s signature weapon was not in sight, it had high tailed away from him.

Yuri was left to crumple down on the ground.  He was a ball of emotions, with everything swirling in his gut. He let out a frustrated cry that soon got louder when he realized the burning pain on his neck had disappeared, the deep wound there already closed.

It was the first time Yuri hated his fast regenerating ability.

This day certainly had a lot of firsts for him.

“And here I had been ready to step in and save the day. Looks like you’ve already handled it.” A very familiar voice stated, amusement lining it.

Yuri dared not to look at the voice’s direction.

“Go away, or else I won’t be able to hold myself back and I’ll kill you – my scythe be damned,” he hissed, knowing very well it wasn’t an empty threat. Yuri was barely holding on to the strings of his sanity. Why must it be tested too much in one day?

Much to his further annoyance, the voice only chuckled.

“I believe you,” the voice assured. Yuri was far from appeased by it, and it seems like the wolf noticed that. “But you owe me a few favors, so…” the voice trailed off.

Yuri had gritted his teeth in response to that.

Of course, of fucking course. How could he forget about that?

Because he wasn’t thinking well, that’s why.

Because his whole world had just crumbled down, that’s why.

_Because he had just fucking killed his grandfather._

Why can’t ever anything go right for Yuri?

The sound of twigs and leaves scrunching under shoes closing in on him managed to snap him out of his reverie. When it stopped, Yuri had looked up to find dark eyes assessing him.

The wolf’s head tilted slightly to the side, ears and tail twitching slightly, eyes glinting in curiosity. “And why is Death getting lost and crying in the forest?”

The sound of his title made him visibly flinch, a growl unconsciously slipping out of his mouth as he hissed, “Don’t call me that!”

Both he and the wolf had been surprised by his outburst.

“Alright, I apologize then.” The wolf hurriedly back tracked, both eyebrows raised at him. Yuri had to bite his lips very hard to hold in the embarrassed whimper that threatened to spill out. He was very sure his face was already tomato red now, no use making it worse. “If that’s the case, what do you suppose I should call you?”

Yuri did a double take at that, gaping at the other man. Was he fucking serious?

“I told you to go away,” he chided, finding himself pissed for no reason. Well, when did he anyway need a reason to feel angry? “Not to make conversation with me.”

“That you did,” the wolf nodded, before a slight smile grazed his lips. “But you did imply that you could barely hold yourself from killing practically anything with a pulse that would cross your way. I’m here as a noble sacrifice – to make sure that you do not harm anything else living in this forest.”

Yuri seriously wanted to strangle him.

But he did have a point. According to Yuuri, with the exception of his place and the lake, the rest of the forest was owned by the Moon Goddess – therefore making anything else that lived there under her jurisdiction. And Gods were selfish and possessive creatures by nature. It wouldn’t do well for Yuri if he got involved with her again.

Especially since the only one who could help him with that was Yuuri, and he was not speaking with that fucking traitor at the moment – probably ever.

“Yura,” he instead sighed, holding back the _because Death reminds me of the fact that because of that damned job, I had to kill my grandfather; while my real name, Yuri, reminded me too much of the person who forced me to do so._ “You can call me Yura.”

“Yura…” the other murmured, dark gaze settled back to Yuri. It almost made his heart skip a beat. “It’s nice to officially meet you, Yura. I’m Otabek, but feel free to call me Beka. After all, it’ll only be fair seeing as the name you have given me was clearly a diminutive.”

Yuri could feel his face started to redden at the sudden playful tone that entered the other’s voice.

He could almost feel his chest lighten slightly from it’s bruising hold on his heart.

Almost.

 

* * *

 

When Yuri reached the age of 20, he and Yuuri still haven’t talked.

Not due to Yuuri’s lack of trying, mind you. For a whole month after that incident, the God had taken to dropping by Yuri’s home on the day on a bi-hourly basis, bringing random servings of food and various knickknacks with as a peace offering.

Yuri had never acknowledged him or even opened his room’s door whenever the older man fussed around the house sometimes. Even if Yuuri had a spare key to the house, he didn’t have one to Yuri’s room.

When it seemed like the other had finally – _finally_ – gotten tired of being ignored, the God had given a long speech from the other side of Yuri’s door.  It was all about how he had deeply regretted not warning Yuri beforehand and was definitely learning now. He had vowed to always inform Yuri if ever another person he deems close to him was about to die (which was funny really, because no _person_ as such exists now); about always being here for him, and some other bullshit that Yuri hadn’t really listened to.

“Although I may be able to send you the names via bird carrier, I’m afraid you’ll still have to come and retrieve your scythe from me,” Yuuri had informed him lastly, voice becoming more vulnerable with every word.

Yuri desperately tried not to let that get to him.

With another parting apology, Yuri had finally been given some peace and quiet.

A little too much peace and quiet, actually.

But Yuri paid it no mind and, after making sure Yuuri was now out of sight, had hurriedly donned his red hood. He then ran out towards the forest in search for  the one who is now slowly becoming his best friend.

“I need a favor,” Yuri had stated without a warning, when he had finally stumbled upon the wolf. That was how their meetings always were. Otabek never really stated the places he usually haunted, which left Yuri no choice but to wander around the wolves’ side of the forest until they find each other.

It was a damned inconvenience, but there was nothing he could do about it. Otabek admitted he had no permanent address and therefore was always wandering around. And though he _did_ have a place to stay, for reasons he mentioned he wasn’t allowed to clarify, it was forbidden for him to divulge that information.

Yuri was starting to have a very unsettling suspicion that Otabek was not what he seemed – like he was no ordinary wolf.

“When had you not needed one?” Otabek asked casually. He hurriedly slurped the small intestine of the human that was his dinner that night, bloodied mouth forming a small grin as he finished swallowing. Honestly, the first time Yuri had witnessed the other hunt and eat a still live and squirming human, he had barely managed to hold in his dinner. It was only at night time that they were able to meet, since Yuri couldn’t really get out of the house until he had made sure Yuuri had left completely not to return until the next day.

After seeing such a scene a often enough, he had made peace with it and had even learned how to ignore it. After all, the dead bodies weren’t the reason why he was there, it was the wolf feasting on them.

“Shut up,” he grumbled, punching the other lightly in the bicep.

Otabek only chuckled as he went back to digging inside his dinner’s stomach. “Well, how may I be of service?”

“Nothing too big, don’t worry,” Yuri replied, pointedly not looking as the wolf had devoured the heart in one bite. Frustratingly, that lead to unwelcome thoughts of how specifically Otabek would handle _Yuri’s_ heart. “Just fetching and returning my scythe from and to the God of the Underworld. That’s it.”

That made the wolf pause. “Nothing big?” the other repeated, voice incredulous. “ _’Fetching and returning your scythe from and to the God of the Underworld’_ is nothing big?”

Yuri couldn’t hold in the grin that formed on his lips. “Yes, it’s ‘nothing big.’ My scythe is nothing but a weapon, after all. It’s not the one that’s killing humans.”

“Whatever you say, Yura.” Otabek shook his head, the small smile on his lips absolutely fond, eyes soft.

And damn if that did not send Yuri’s heart racing.

A comfortable silence enveloped them, as Otabek went back to his dinner and Yuri sat under a nearby tree, both of them just basking in the presence of one another. When Otabek had finally finished his meal, they went to a river. Yuri had been watching his friend wash off the blood clinging to his clothes and skin, when Otabek had dropped a bomb on him.

“You know,” the other started, diligently scrubbing his clothes underwater, giving Yuri the wonderful show of his biceps flexing. “My rate had changed.”

“Huh?” Yuri dumbly asked. He had been too distracted by the wonderful display of a shirtless Otabek to really give anything else even half of his attention.

He received a splash of water in response to his inattentiveness.

“What the-!”

“I don’t accept favors and milk as payment anymore,” Otabek clarified, stopping Yuri from giving out what was supposed to be a long tirade about his wet clothing.

Yuri blinked in surprise at that, eyebrows furrowing. “Why not?” he asked.

Otabek chuckled as he took his pants off, stealing yet again Yuri’s attention away from their conversation. “You already owe me enough favors. I’m afraid I’m no longer interested in them.”

“Okay…?” Yuri hesitantly managed to answer after he struggled to pull his sight away from the quite amazing (and completely) naked visage in front of him. With an eyebrow raised, he asked, “What would you accept as payment, then?”

“Kisses,” the bastard stated, face not changing from it’s usual stoic expression, dark eyes trained on Yuri.

Yuri promptly choked on his saliva and started hacking.

“Wh-wha-?”

“I want a kiss from you for every time that I fetch and return your scythe.” Asshole even had the guts to clarify.

Yuri could only gape at him.

A few moments passed like that until Otabek’s expression slowly cracked, suddenly turning sheepish and adding, “Of course, if that’s alright with you…? I’ll still accept favors if it’s not-“

Yuri didn’t let the other finish, and had already crossed to where the wolf was before grabbing his neck to kiss him.

The next morning, Yuri had been pleasantly surprised when he was about to get ready for that day: Otabek was already comfortably lounging at the living room’s sofa, Yuri’s scythe safely perched on the coffee table.

Seeing the wolf softly smiling at him first thing in the morning was a wonderful way to start the day.

 

* * *

 

It wasn’t until Yuri was 20 when he and Yuuri finally patched their shit.

And it had been because of Otabek.

Well, not really.

“The God of the Underworld gained an unsettling amount of weight, you know.” That made Yuri pause, arm holding his scythe awkwardly raised as he gaped at the wolf.

The human currently kneeling in front of him whimpered loudly at that, the snot stained face growing even more pallid at the mention of the great God. Both Yuri and Otabek paid him no mind.

“What?” When Otabek merely blinked at him, Yuri couldn’t help himself and gritted his teeth in anger, scythe swung back to his side, loudly slamming the handle to the ground.

The human had now peed on his pants, complexion completely paper like it looked almost like Yuri had already taken his life.

Still, both entities had ignored him.

“Fucking hell, had he gone binge eating again? That fucking pig _knew_ just how easy it was for him to gain weight! Had he not learned from the last time I helped him lose weight?” Yuri growled, glaring expectantly at the wolf.

The other merely shrugged. “What do you think? Don’t you know him best?”

That stopped Yuri.

“No,” he murmured, hating himself for making it sound broken instead of angry. “I _thought_ I did.”

Much to his surprise, instead of saying nothing at all, Otabek had released an exhausted sigh. His glare was quick to land on the wolf. “What?” he barked.

Otabek looked crossed for a moment before, fixing those dark eyes at him, said, “I’m quite disappointed in you, honestly.”

Yuri was stumped at that, stammering a “W-wh-what?” in reply.

The human had been completely forgotten, and had only been remembered when it tried to run away. Otabek had been the one to notice it, hurriedly elongated his fangs and growled at the stupid thing as warning.

The human had stumbled back on the ground, quaking.

Yuri’s gaze has never strayed.

“Damn it, Otabek. What did you mean by that?” Yuri angrily asked, scythe now swung so that the blade rested just below the wolf’s chin.

Otabek hadn’t even blinked. “The Yuri I liked and admired wasn’t a coward. Stop running away from your problems.”

Yuri’s anger only grew at that. “What do you mean a coward-“

“Your grandfather is dead.” Yuri went completely still at that. God fucking damn it if he doesn’t _know_ \- “And you can’t seem to get pass that. Whether you like it or not, the God of the Underworld is all that you have left. _What_ the hell are you doing?”

An unsettling silence descended upon the room, with the two powerful entities not moving from each other’s gazes.

“Where does that leave you, then?” Yuri asked, voice soft and vulnerable – a first since Otabek found him lost (both figuratively and literally) at the forest the day he killed his grandfather, scythe now lowered back to the ground.

Otabek’s expression had softened at that. He moved closer so that he could tuck in a wayward blond lock that had escaped from the loose braid Otabek had done to Yuri’s hair, over his ear.

“Anywhere you want me,” the wolf replied, voice equally soft, but with more feeling. Yuri moved to press himself against the other’s body but a firm hand on his elbow stopped him. When Yuri looked back at Otabek, his expression had hardened. “But, given that you finally stop all this bullshit and talk to the God of the Underworld.”

That brought his anger back, coursing through his veins with a vengeance. “Get out,” Yuri snapped, pushing the wolf away wondering from him. Otabek merely gazed at him, unresponsive. “Get out!”

How dare he? _How_ fucking _dare_ he! Who does he think he is? Just because Yuri had allowed him entry to his heart doesn’t ultimately mean he could dictate Yuri’s actions, even if he still owed the damned wolf some favors. It was just too much. The wolf is now telling him how to interact with the very person who shattered his world. Because that person - God - had foisted his duties as Death upon him.

_Yuri has had enough._

“GET THE FUCK OUT AND NEVER SHOW YOUR FACE TO ME AGAIN!” He repeated, this time more forcefully, scythe back under the other’s chin and already had drawn a drop of blood.

“Alright,” Otabek conceded and with one last lingering look, he had turned back into a wolf right in front of Yuri despite knowing just how _much_ he hated the disturbing sound when his bones grind against each other. Without another word, he was out of the door.

Only then had Yuri let himself crumble to the ground, teeth gritted as he desperately tried to hold in tears. No, no, no. The bastard deserved none of his tears.

Well, maybe the stray one that had surprisingly dropped from his eye. But other than that, those fucking tears were staying right inside Yuri’s tear ducts.

It also didn’t help that when Yuri finally remembered the human that had been the spectator to that utter mess, the pathetic thing was already sprawled on the house’s floor, passed out.  Yuri had all intentions of relieving his stress via his kill before finally end its misery.  But it seems that Yuri was left with no choice but to change his usual killing style of beheading to finely chopping the useless large piece of meat and bones to pieces.

Still, the heavy rock currently lodged upon his heart had yet to come off.

 

\-------

 

It took Yuri quite a while to realize that letting Otabek leave hadn’t been the wisest decision.

The next morning, Yuri absentmindedly made two servings of food. He had also started conversations where a reply was never received. He paid none of it mind anyway, figuring it'll all be better soon. He _was_ still adjusting.

It was only when he was sitting on the sofa _waiting_ , that it hit him.

Of fucking course. With Otabek’s disappearance, Yuri was left no choice now but to personally fetch his scythe from Yuuri.

_God fucking damn it._

If Yuri didn’t know any better, he was going to applaud Otabek for devising such an unexpected scheme.

But such subtlety was not the wolf’s strong point. He was always blunt to the point that it left Yuri embarrassed all the time.

And he seriously needed to stop thinking of that bastard.

That’s how Yuri found himself standing outside the familiar white brick house, a basket of his freshly made piroshky (poor imitation of his grandfather’s) and a bottle of fresh milk. He doesn’t even know why he decided to bring that, when it was usually for Otabek. Halfway across the forest, it was only then that he realized it. Even so, he couldn’t find it in himself to throw it away.

An unknown feeling of something loosely related to anticipation bubbled in his stomach,only to grow heavy in disappointment when he finally reached his destination with no happenings. When he reached the white mahogany door, he struggled as to whether to knock on the damned thing or turn back home.

Unfortunately, his responsible side won out. Yuuri had been too effective at scaring young Yuri with the consequences if ever he missed even a day of work when he had returned three days after he started his job. After a small pep talk to himself, he finally found the courage to knock loudly on the door.

“Give me a moment, Otabek!” Yuuri’s painfully familiar voice floated from inside, and the name uttered sent such a painful pang in Yuri’s heart that he had almost passed out due to asphyxiation when Yuuri finally managed to open the door.

“Great timing! The rice had just finished cooking and it’s ready-“ the God gasped at the sight of him. “-to be packed and sent to Yuri…”

Those words only merely managed to lodge the rock Otabek left on his heart deeper.

None of them spoke for quite a while.

Then, both of them said at the same time:

“Would you like to come in for some katsudon?” Yuuri beamed, staring expectantly at him, chubby arms pushing the door to open wider. Wow, Otabek hadn’t been joking. The other really had alarmingly gained a lot of weight – turning him now into a fucking _ball_ rather than the pig that he had been before.

“My scythe,” Yuri stated, clearing his throat when it sounded too raspy. “Please,” he added as an afterthought, for entirely unknown reasons.

Silence returned afterwards, both of them not knowing what to do next.

Yuuri was the first one to shake out of it, wide smile diminishing by the second until it had become nothing more than a grimace. “Of course,” he said, making that pang hit Yuri’s heart again by how soft and heartbroken the other sounded. “Give me a moment.”

“Uhh,” it unconsciously slipped out, making Yuri panic even more when Yuuri had quickly swiveled his attention back to him, expression completely hopeful, twinkling brown eyes that for some reason reminded him of Otabek.

It took him a long time to speak, having returned to internally arguing with himself. Despite quite the long while, the God’s expression had never faltered.

This was what had helped Yuri make up his mind, breathing out a resigned (with an underlining of hope too,) “Ka- a bowl of katsudon would be good too…”

Yuri swore he had never seen the God smile that widely or joyfully before.

 

* * *

 

It wasn’t until Yuri was 21 when he and Otabek met again.

After a year of fruitless search, Yuri had finally conceded to defeat and turned to Yuuri for help.

How the hell did Otabek managed to completely drop off the world? Could it be that he was like Yuri, having a powerful God backing him up?

Could he be indeed that rumored ultimate wolf that the Moon Goddess had specifically made to lead all wolves as once and stop all their useless territory wars?

(For a while Yuri had almost believed it. After all, it sounded completely plausible. Let’s face it, Otabek seriously seemed like a hero.)

Seriously, Yuri had totally learned this from the wolves he had mercilessly interrogated (but not to the point of _killing_ them) when he was still starting his search for Otabek, then having figured that if there was anyone who was more informed of the other’s whereabouts it would be his fellow species.

During his search, he grilled the wolves for any information he could get and avoided doing something too rash since he doesn’t want to get in trouble with their goddess again. (He still hadn't made up with Yuuri and would therefore like to avoid dragging the God into another kind of mess.)

It had all been fruitless. Those flea bitten vermins hadn't even known Otabek’s name.

“You know, we could have just directly asked the Moon Goddess about that. I’m sure she’ll have an answer. She does know each and every wolf,” Yuuri suggested, flittering around the stove, preparing the ramen broth. Yuuri was now capable of moving lightly all around his house after the rigorous training regime Yuri had designed for him. Despite the God having lost a lot of weight, he was still far from his ‘pre-disaster’ (as what they had called _that incident_ now) weight.

Oh well, at least now they were closer to their goal.

“Would that be all right though? I thought she was still cross with me after I killed one of her precious babies,” Yuri replied, eyebrows furrowed, completely confused. That had been the truth. The Goddess had done nothing more than shout at and curse Yuri the whole time they had spoken after his not-so-accidental-but-had-passed-as-accidental kill.

“Oh,” Yuuri waved him off, handing a tasting dish filled with broth. “She already got over it. Now’s a better time to ask her, actually. She’s too preoccupied to mentally play with you.  Apparently, her youngest and favorite child had been completely out of it since last year and it’s been affecting her deeply.”

As he tasted the broth,Yuri seemed to think the God’s suggestion over, and decided to try it. Why not, right? He’s got nothing to lose anyway.

 

\---------

 

The realm of the Gods was on the other side of the Lake of Life. Yuri had barely even completely passed through the realm of the Gods, feeling completely out of place for being the only spot of dark color (he was wearing his red hood) against all the pastel hues.

That’s when he saw Otabek.

It didn’t take long for Yuri’s breath to thin out and his heart to start pounding wildly in his chest.

The wolf was wearing the same blue ensemble he wore during their second meeting. This time, his ears and tail was not at all visible. He was crouched at the shore of the Lake of Life, gazing intently at something reflected on the water. At a closer look, it turned out to be moving pictures of the human world.

Yuri was now starting to have an idea as to what Otabek’s real identity was.

“You’re a tough one to find, you know,” Yuri started, before cowardice would take control of him.  No, not anymore. Not this time around.

Yuri was going to make sure of it.

A pleasant feeling replaced his earlier unrest as he observed how he had startled the other. Otabek seemingly had recognized his voice, jumped up and started moving towards his direction.

Yuri could clearly see how the wolf - _Could Otabek be even called that? -_ suck in his breath, eyes widened in surprise, mouth parted slightly to breath out a startled “Yura.”

And damn if that did not completely send a pleasant shiver down his spine.

Oh, how much Yuri missed this feeling.

“Hi,” he breathed out, mouth slowly stretching unto a smile.

Otabek was still staring at him, confused. “But I thought you said to never show myself-“

“In front of me again,” Yuri interrupted, completing the other’s sentence. By this time he had already started rocking on the balls of his foot, desperately trying to hold himself from running towards Otabek and having those arms wrapped around him again.

He had a feeling Otabek would _not_ appreciate that a bit. Not without any clarifications, of course.

“This is different, though,” Yuri continued, giving the other man a mischievous look. “You didn’t show yourself to me – rather, I decided to show _myself_ to you.”

Different sorts of emotions flitted through Otabek: dumbfoundedness, confusion, elation, confusion again. He has resigned himself to the thought that Yuri will always be unpredictable. Otabek sighed as he realized that but seeing Yuri in front of him, he can't help but smile.

“That you did, that you did,” Otabek acknowledged, gazing at Yuri fondly – if not loving.

At that moment, the stone that Otabek had left, the same stone which has been slightly pulled out of Yuri when he made up with the God, had completely disappeared. Yuri promptly relished the feeling of his chest enlarging in joy as he finally let himself tackle Otabek into a hug so tight, no air could pass through them.

Not with how desperately they were clinging to each other.

Finally, despite the fact that Yuri’s initial world had indeed been destroyed beyond repair at the death of his grandfather, he had been fortunate enough to have people more than willing to build another one (or several) just for him.

And there was nothing more he could ask for.

**Author's Note:**

>  **Bonus:**  
>     
> “Just who the hell are you, anyway?” Yuri finally asked when, a moment later, the both of them were found sitting a few paces away from the lake’s shore, gazing in admiration at the sprites and fairies playing along at the water’s surface not far from them.
> 
> Otabek tightened his hold on Yuri’s torso before responding, “I’m the youngest child and only son of the Moon Goddess.”
> 
> When Yuri had released a resigned sigh, Otabek hadn’t been able to hold in his chuckle as he dropped a kiss on the other’s neck – right over where Death had been bitten by a wolf on that day. Although no scar had formed due to the other’s fast healing abilities, Otabek could still clearly see the wound that had been inflicted every time his gaze would land on that spot. 
> 
> The appropriate punishment had been given out, of course.
> 
> “I see you’re not surprised.”
> 
> “I had a feeling,” Yuri admitted, snuggling closer to his chest, drawing his arms even tighter around the other’s lithe frame. “You weren’t really exactly being subtle with that whole mysterious thing you had going on.”
> 
> “Huh, really? Well, wouldn’t you know?”
> 
> The chuckle he received in reply to that had been pleasantly warm.
> 
> Until Yuri completely threw a sledgehammer at it (because of course, he would, as Otabek’s dear ferocious ball of fluff.)
> 
> “Fuck, how will we explain everything to your mother?”
> 
> “Shit.”
> 
> The Moon Goddess was known to be very protective towards her children.
> 
> Most especially to her youngest and only son, who also happened to be her most favorite child.
> 
> This was going to be hard.


End file.
